couchdb-dev mailing list archives

On 08/03/2009, at 11:47 PM, Benoit Chesneau wrote:
> Launching such service is a good idee, and I would say "bravo".
Indeed, a commercial culture around CouchDB is a good thing when
trying to sell this technology.
> But I think this is unfair to use couchdb name as a company and using
> the "couchdb.com" as website. Unfair for all other projects coming or
> existing that (would) provide such service or any commercial service
> based on couchdb.
<snip>
> That said. I just would like to add i'm not against such service.
> That's not the point. I like this idee and I hope it will work for
> you. What I dislike, and I'm strongly against it, is that you use
> couchdb name for **your** service. For me that mean i have to
> reconsider the way I endorse couchdb in my projects and I feel bad. I
> really hope you don't already make any legal administrative stuff
> about it and that your are ok to change/think about another name.
This issue has had an immediate impact on my first deployed CouchDB
project.
To date I have had a 'Built with CouchDB' link on every page.
Unfortunately, having a company called CouchDB Ltd, at couchdb.com
turns that link into an advertisement for a competitor to our
consultancy and development business in this space - specifically, the
space defined by our use of CouchDB (albeit a branch version). We feel
this way because co-opting the name and domain name for a consultancy
business is a form of implicit endorsement, so we will no longer be
including such a link, nor promoting CouchDB. This will be an ongoing
problem, because simply mentioning the name advertises a competitor.
C'est la vie.
I understand the attraction - if I owned the name, I'd be tempted, and
I'm not being critical of Jan or Chris - I'm simply saying that this
is one immediate impact. I also have no basis for saying whether this
opinion will be widespread or not, nor whether it will have any
significant effect, but my company is at least one data point.
Cheers,
Antony Blakey
-------------
CTO, Linkuistics Pty Ltd
Ph: 0438 840 787
He who would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy
from repression.
-- Thomas Paine